A/N: It's very obvious that Ash's mom and dad would be absolutely frantic with worry so that's why I'm not writing about them. Just don't' bother thinking about them, they're not important.

Luvs Elfie xXxXx





Chapter 6

"Robyn, I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do," said Aragorn. "Last time we had clues. The messages were riddles and that helped us find Michelle. This time we have nothing. Not a single thing."

"But it's been a week now!" she said, exasperatedly. "They can't be that far away if they're planning on doing something to us. Why can't you just search places?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, Robyn, Minas Tirith is a very big city," replied Michelle.

"It would take us weeks to search every property thoroughly," added Aragorn. "All we can do is wait until they give us some clue as to where they are or what they have done with Ash."

"So all we can do is wait?" she said, on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry, Robyn," he said, genuinely sad that he couldn't help the distraught young girl standing before him.

"No, it's all right," she said. "I know you can't do anything really. I'm just so desperate to see him again." She started to cry. "I'd give anything just to have him back."

"We'll get him back somehow," said Legolas. "You'll s-"

"YOUR HIGHNESS!" A messenger came running through the doors of the Great Hall. He skidded to a halt at Aragorn's feet and knelt. Aragorn rolled his eyes. 'They're all so dramatic,' he thought.

"Stand," he said, unenthusiastically. "What is it?"

"He has been returned, sire," said the messenger. "Mr. Ash (A/N: Hehehe!) has been returned." Robyn's face lit up.

"What?!" she cried excitedly. "Where is he? Is he all right? Is he harmed? Can I see him?"

"He is currently at his home with his parents," said the messenger. "He is slightly wounded, at present it is not certain what is wrong, but his left is in pain at the moment. And he has requested the presence of Miss Robyn and her mother."

"I will accompany them," said Legolas.

"As will I," said Aragorn. "We must see where our young friend has been. If he knows anything at all, we need to know as to keep you two safe."

"Surely they wouldn't be stupid enough to tell him things and let him go," said Robyn.

"This is Becky and Clare we're talking about," said Michelle. Robyn paused for a moment.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," she said. And with that, the four of them left the Palace.



'Just keep calm and remember what they told you,' Ash thought. 'Everything is going to be fine. Get Michelle away from the others and take her to them. It'll all be fine. Just keep calm.' There was a knock at the door. Ash's heart jolted in his chest. 'Just act normal. Don't be different. If you do mess up, blame it on the injury.'

"Where is he?" said a voice in the hallway. Ash knew it immediately, but it no longer made his heart soar to hear it. All he could think of was what Becky had told him. What she had drilled into his head every day for the past week. Robyn was using him. She needed support for the baby. She didn't really love him. It was all an act. That made what he had to do so much easier to deal with. In fact, it made him smile.

The door opened and a small blonde figure bounded through the door with the largest grin on her face that Ash had ever seen. Tears streamed down her thin, pretty face. Her joy was uncontainable. But Ash still 'knew' it was an act.

"Oh Ash!" Robyn cried as she flung her arms around his neck. "I've missed you so much! I thought I'd lost you forever! I'm so sorry!" 'I'll bet you are,' he thought, bitterly. 'Sorry that you nearly had to raise a child on your own.'

"Well, I'm back now," he said. Michelle, Legolas and Aragorn entered the room. 'Damn!' he thought. 'It's going to be harder than I reckoned. I should have known they'd come too. Oh well, it can still go ahead.'

"What did they do to you?" said Robyn. "What happened to your arm?"

"Oh, er, Becky shut it in the door when I tried to escape a couple of days ago," he said. It wasn't exactly a lie. Becky had shut his arm in the door, but only by accident. Well, that's what she said, anyway. And he hadn't been trying to escape. But Robyn wasn't going to find that out. Not yet at any rate.

"Oh, you poor thing!" she gasped. "And I'll bet they didn't have the decency to bandage it or anything."

"Yeah, they did actually," he said, without thinking. "Though I'm not sure why. Perhaps they thought I wouldn't be of any use if I was injured."

"Did they tell you why they took you?" she pressed on.

"I'm not sure why," he said. "I think they originally wanted me to help them but they soon realised that that wasn't going to happen. I think they eventually got bored of me when I wouldn't help them."

"We're glad you're back, Ash," said Michelle with a smile. "Do you know where they took you?"

"I don't know," he said. "Clare teleported me there and back. It was a hut of some kind."

"Do you think you were in the City?" said Aragorn.

"I'm not sure," said Ash. "I don't think we were, but I never saw out of the windows. They were always covered over."

"Did they mention anything about what they were planning?" said Legolas.

"No, I just got the impression of a lot of hate," said Ash. "I don't know what's shaken them up so much, but it really does come down to hate now."

"That's not good," said Robyn.

"You don't say," said Michelle.

"I was only pointing it out," said Robyn. "There's no need for sarcasm."

"Don't start arguing, you two," said Legolas. "Let's just concentrate on Ash being back and keeping you two safe. Anything could happen now. We don't know what they're planning or who they are going to try to get first. We don't know where or when." 'You may not, but I do,' thought Ash. "We have to stick together. We can't afford to fall out and risk the loss of another."

"There's no need to be so serious, Dad," said Robyn.

"There's every need to be serious, Robyn," said Legolas. "Anything could happen at any time. I would have thought that this experience would have shown you that."

"Ok, ok, chill, dad," she said. "I do understand that this is serious, but what is going to happen whilst me and mom are with you, Aragorn and Ash?"

"Probably nothing, but you still have to keep safe," he said.

Ash's heart jolted again. 'Probably?' thought Ash. 'He doesn't suspect anything does he? No, he doesn't. How could he know anything about this? No, I'm just over-reacting. Now how am I going to get Michelle alone?'

************

A/N: Ash is a naughty boy. How could he do this to poor 'Chelle and Robyn? In an upcoming chapter we will see the return of Tracey and Mary-Jo, in case you wanted to know and were wondering where they had got to. I have a small favour to ask. Could you all please read 'The Fellowship of the Naz-Girls' by Lyncorath, Guardian of Tears. There are two reasons. 1) It's very good and 2) There is a character based on me in it and when I'm done writing Return, I will be writing her life story so it'd kinda help if you read the fic first! Thanks!

Luvs Elfie xXxXx PS. YAY! Finally got a chance to do the r/n's! Woo Hoo! Sorry it's taken me so long to do them. Anyhoo, here we go:

Mary-Sue Annihilation Squad: I'm glad I have your support! Thanks for the compliment!

Noodles: Well, you'll probably never read this since you don't read my stuff very often, and I can just tell you all this at school on Monday but thank you anyway! It's weird getting compliments from you! Lolz! Oh, and you are evil, I just don't tell you all that often!

morgaine: Stoppit! You're making me blush! No, but in all seriousness, thank you! I luv you too, honey!

Freja: Hello! You don't read my stuff very often either, and I can tell you all this on Monday too, but that's not the point! Thank you for not hitting me for making you evil!

Chrissie: Yup, very bad! But I'm glad you like it!

Mojo-7007: I have no idea what has happened to her, oh, yes I do! That's going to be in a later chapter! ~ I'll be waiting on your first chapter! ~ I know, Ash is evil! I couldn't help it! It's a good story line though, isn't it?!

Tafi: Lafi is very good to you! I hope you appreciate her kindness! Lolz, I'm just kidding. Well, I'm not kidding that you should be nice to her, I'm just kidding that I'm not really going to tell you what to do or how to treat your sister! Shall I shut up now? Thought so! ~ That is really creepy with the whole your friends Christina and Greenleaf thing! I got a little freaked when you told me that! I don't know them, I swear I don't! ~ Uh... you can come to my house whenever you want! ~ Ash is a very big git! ~ You sure are my best online friend... ok, so you're my only online friend... ~ That's so typically you! And knowing you're reviews makes that even funnier! ~ I'm in 'Aladdin & his magic lamp'... O_o dodgy! ~ Yes, my bf is called Richard and he's fine! He's lovely as ever! ~ Yes, I would say grade 12 ~ Nope, I don't know what blogger means! I've never heard it in my life! And I've asked a few of my mates, they don't know either! So, it's not a Brit word. But Lafi is right (unlike me) it does sound VERY dirty! ~ No, I meant to type that! It's not exactly brit slang either its just the way I speak. When she has a bump, she's going to be big. Another way of saying big is fat. If people keep feeding her cookies, she will get fat. SO, therefore, she doesn't need people to make her fat when she will be soon anyway! Do you get it now? ~ Don't mock my writer's block! It's not funny! It took me ages to write this chapter and it's taking me so long to be able to write my ideas down, so I hope you appreciate my hard work! But thanks for the offer of trying to help. I would have done that but I decided to try one last time and see if I got any inspiration, and then there was chapter 6!

Oki doki then, hope you all like this chapter! It took me long enough to write it! DAMN! Anyway, I'll just have to be going now, since I have another rehearsal! Luvs Elfie xXxXx